Utilization of Feed Enzymes in Laying Hen Rations1

61993Applied Poultry Science, Inc

UTILIZATION OF FEEDENZYMES IN LAYING HENRATIONS' CRAIG L.. WYATT and TERRIE GOODMAN Department of Animal Sciences, WmliitigtonState Utiiversiy, Puyallup, WA 98371-4998

BARLEY IN POULTRY DIETS Resistance to the use of barley in poultry diets has resulted from the general perception that barley is inferior in energy to corn and causes digestive disorders. These factors may be incompatible with the high density diets used in today's poultry industry. The energy content of cereal grains is generally related inversely to the fiber content. The composition of the carbohydrate fractions of cereal grains and their digestibility is of major interest because cereal grains are the main energy sources in poultry diets. Lower digestibility and metabolizable energyvalues of barley is thought to be due to the carbohydrate component of the endosperm cell walls. McNab and Shannon 111 reported digestibility coefficients for fat and crude protein to be the same for barley and corn, but organic matter and carbohydrate digestibility coefficients were much lower for barley (Table 1). Limited information is available on the extent of digestion of starch and nonstarch polysaccharides in poultry compared to the

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amount of inforamation available about the degradability of plant cell wall polysaccharides in the rumen. Whether the type of sugar residue, its linkage in the polysaccharides, or the location of the polysaccharide in the plant cell walls determines the digestibility of the feed ingredient by poultry is not truly known [2]. Longstaff and McNab (31 found starch from wheat to be digested quite well by adult poultry, but measurable amounts of undigested starch were present in the excreta of young birds fed wheat. This difference in digestability of wheat maybe due to the development of the intestinal tract or to enzyme activity. Adult birds appear to be able to adapt to high fiber diets quite well, but the mechanisms or pathways involved are not understood. RESEARCH USING BARLEY Limited research has been published on metabolizable energy values and chemical composition of different barley varieties. This research becomes difficult to interpret because factors such as genetic selection and geographical location of the barley grown, and age of the bird used as the experimental unit, may influence energy values. Peterson [4] reported that ME values for several feedstuffs (corn, wheat, barley, soybean meal, peas, etc.) were higher for laying hens than for young chicks. Adult hens appear to have the ability to utilize a greater percentage of the total energy available from these ingredients compared to young chicks. Recently, Rotter et al. [5] demonstrated that bird age was important when assigning an energy value to several different barleys that contained P-glucan (Table 2). These authors observed a significant increase in ME values when crude enzyme prepara-

Presented at the 1992 Poultry Science Association Informal Nutrition Conference Symposium: (1993 J. Appl. Poultry Res. 2:68-74) Ettzyriies in Poiilty Feeds-Wiut Are llie Fucts?

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In the commercial poultry industry, all diets are formulated utilizing a least-cost feed program. To achieve a balanced least-cost diet, both accurate nutrient composition of feedstuffs and requirements of the bird must be defined. It is critical for a nutritionist to know the variability of the energy content of an ingredient and availability of the energy to the bird. It is also important to have accurate energy values of feed ingredients because dietary energy is a major cost in formulating a leastcost ration. For barley to be used in total mixed poultry diets, proper energy values need to be determined and the variabilityamong cultivars grown in different regions must also be known.

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WYA'lT and GOODMAN TABLE 1. Digestibility coefficients (kSE) for some components of several cereal grainsA

total a-glucans, soluble carbohydrates, and crude fiber levels were observed in the different barley cultivars collected. Crude protein levels varied from 9-18%, approximately a two-fold difference. There was significantly less variation (approximately 14%) in TMEn values between barley cultivars, with a range of 3020 to 3459 kcaUkg DM. Using the adult bird assay for energy determinations, it was found that feeding an enzyme along with barley resulted in a 5% increase in TMEn values, but the response was highly variable (1-12% increase). Barley has been tested as an ingredient in commercial laying diets for many years. Researchers have found barley can be fed to laying hens with no difference in egg production or weight when compared with corn- or wheat-based diets. Berg [9]reported no difference in egg production between laying hens fed corn- or barley-based diets, but feeding

TABLE 2. Effect of diet composition with and without enzyme supplementation on the apparent protein digestibility (APD) and bioavailable energy for broiler chicks and adult roostersA

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tions were fed, but the improvement was greater in chicks than in adult roosters. It was concluded that mature birds had a sufficiently developed gastrointestinal tract to neutralize the negative effects ofa-glucans. Sibbald [6] compared several cultivars of barley for TME and AME. The TME values (not corrected for nitrogen) were higher than the AME values, but the differences were highly variable. This suggested an interaction between the cereal grains, the animal influencing digestion, and energy values. Certain nutrient components of barley can be measured to predict energy values. In our laboratory, 14 varieties of barley were analyzed for chemical composition and nitrogencorrected TME (TMEn) values to investigate the interaction between /I-glucan levels and energy values [7]. TMEn values for adult roosters were determined utilizing the assay of Sibbald [SI. A wide variation in crude protein,

JAPR ENZYMES IN LAYING HEN RATIONS

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TABLE 3. Effect of treating barley with water and adding enzymes to barley diets on the performance of laying hens at 28 weeks of ageA

EGG PRODUCTION

Corn

74.6

FEED CONVERSION (Ibs feed/dozen eggs) 4.00

Barley

73.4

4.48

0.02

75.7

4.38

0.10

72.8

4.39

0.10

GRAIN

(%I

Barley

+ EnzymeB

Water treated barley

GRAIN

EGG PRODUCTION

(W 0.25

ers [Ill investigated the response of laying hens to different types of barley cultivars substituted for corn. They found no differences in egg production and egg weight between the experimental diets when these diets were formulated to be isocaloric and isonitrogenous (Table 4). On the other hand, feeding Morex or Glenn barley cultivars increased feed consumption and feed conversion significantly, and decreased weight gain compared with hens fed a corn-based diet. Most studies report that barley can be substituted into a laying hen ration with no detrimental effect on egg production or egg weight, but feed conversion is significantly poorer. This may indicate that barley is interfering with digestion and absorption in the adult bird, preventing optimal utilization of dietary nutrients.

RECENT RESEARCH Research has been conducted recently at Washington State University (WSU) to investigate the interaction between dietary barley levels and laying hen performance. First, an experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of feeding barley containing different P-glucan levels on production parameters uti-

FEED INTAKE (glhenlday) 106.2a

BODY WEIGHT GAIN Wen)

EGG WEIGHT (g)

40Sa

S6.1a

CORN

84.2a

FEED CONVERSION (Ibs feed/doz/eggs) 2.xa

Morex

82.P

2.ab

116.Sb

460b

S4.6a

Glenn

83.2a

2.Mb

11S.3b

450b

54.6a

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barley significantly lowered body weight gain and feed conversion (Table 3). Feeding crude enzymes (either fungal or bacterial) improved egg production and feed conversion slightly, but the response was not consistent. Recently, a study was conducted [ 10) to evaluateproduction parameters for laying hens fed varying levels of hulless barley (Scout) substituted for wheat. Substituting up to 80% Scout barley for wheat had no effect on egg production; however, increasing the dietary level of barley decreased feed consumption and improved feed conversion significantly. No differences were observed in body weights at 20,40, and 56 wks of age, but egg weight increased significantly with the increase in barley levels. These researchers further compared the response of laying hens fed either conventional (hulled) or hulless barley substituted for wheat. Laying hens fed hulless barley had a significantly higher egg production (hen-day) than birds fed either conventional barley or wheat. Substituting conventional barley into the diet decreased egg production, resulting in poorer feed conversion. The type of barley substituted into the diet therefore had a direct effect on laying hen performance. Coon and cowork-

BODY WEIGHT GAIN

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WYATT and GOODMAN TABLE 5. Effect of feedin%a corn-based or barley-based d i e p with or withoutb-glucanase on several parameters in laying hens PARAMETER Final Body Weight (kg) Body Weight Gain (g) Feed Intake (g/hen/day) Liver Weight (g) Liver Weight (% BWT) Egg Production (To)

WANABET BARLEY

CORN -Enzyme

+Enzyme

1.n

1.82

63.8

67.3

120

121

42.9

53.5

2.42

2.93

95.2

91.2

-Enzyme

+Enzyme

1.65

1.76

-30.5

22.8

112

118

38.4

43.5

2.32

2.48

89.9

95.2

!STEPTOE BARLEY -Enzyme

+Enzyme

1.75

1.78

44.1

29.9

118

120

42.9

42.3

2.46

2.38

95.0

95.5

BWvatt 1121

lizing individually caged laying hens. The total P-glucan in the barley ranged from 4.3-7.9%. The barley was incorporated into the diet at a level of 65% and formulated to be isocaloric. No differences in daily feed intake and egg weight were observed throughout the six week period. As the level of total P-glucan in the barley increased, body weight gain, total egg production, and liver lipid levels decreased significantly compared with hens fed the corn diet. These results indicate that@-glucanlevels may influence laying hen performance when incorporated into the diet at high levels. A second study 1121 was conducted to investigate the effect of feeding two barley

cultivars with different total P-glucan levels (Steptoe, approx. 3.8%; Wanabet, approx. 5.2%) on laying hen performance. An enzyme preparation @-glucanase)was supplemented into the diets to determine the interaction between total P-glucan level and performance. Energy levels (ME) of the diets were formulated using new TME, values for each barley determined prior to mixing. Performance of hens fed Steptoe barley was not different than that of hens fed the corn-based diet; enzyme supplementation resulted in no further increase in performance (Table 5). However, feeding Wanabet barley resulted in a significant decrease in body weight gain, daily feed

TABLE 6. Diet composition for the barley energy utilization trial in laying hensA INGREDIENT Ground corn Wanabet barley

CORN (%)

BARLEY (96)

59.71

15.00

BARLEY (%) 15.00

0.00

49.90

49.90

2 1.40

19.13

19.13

Limestone

8.4 1

8.46

8.46

Millrun wheat

5.00

0.00

0.00

4.92

Soybean meal

Blended fat

2.83

4.92

Dicalcium phosphate

1.71

1.64

1.64

WSU premix

0.94

0.96

0.96

ME (kcal/g)

2.85

2.85

2.85

16.50

16.50

16.50

Crude fat (%)

5.46

6.58

6.58

Crude fiber (%)

2.53

3.62

3.62

Crude protein (%)

+ EB

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AProximatecom osition of diets: Corn, ME=2.80 kcal/g, Crude Protein = 17%; Wanabet, ME=2.75 kcal/g, Crude Protein = 17%; S?eptoe, ME= 2.75 lical/g, Crude Protein = 17%

JAPR ENZYMES IN LAYING HEN RATIONS

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TABLE 7. Effect of formulating dietsA using Wanabet barley and an enzyme mixture on several parameters in laying hens' PARAMETER

CORN

BAIUEY

+ E'

1.69

1.72

1.71

Body weight change (9)

15.90

0.00

25.30

Feed intake (g!hen/day)

110.20

111.60

112.70

Abdominal fat (70BWT)

4.39

4.55

4.47

Liver lipid (%)

7.5Ia

6.0Ib

5.46b

Egg weight (g) Total egg production (%) Feed conversion (feed/egg mass)

62.80

63.80

63.20

86.40a

85.90a

89.60b

2.04'

2.0Sa

2.01b

'Commercial enzyme mixture addedat 0.1% (Avizyme SX, Finnfeeds Int., Ltd.) a9bMeanswith similar superscripts are not significanlly different at ( P S .05).

intake, total egg production, and feed conversion compared with the other diets. Supplementing the Wanabet diet with p-glucanase resulted in an increase in performance equal to that observed in the other experimental diets. Findings from this study indicate that adjusting the TME, values for Steptoe resulted in performance equal to hens fed a corn-based diet, but some factor(s) in the Wanabet barley caused a decrease in performance which could be corrected by feeding P-glucanase enzyme. To further evaluate the effect of formulating diets using Wanabet barley and a supplemental enzyme on laying hen performance, two identical studies were conducted 1131.The barley was given a ME value of 2.940 kcaVg in the computer feed program and was formulated to be isocaloric with the corn-soybean control diet by adding fat (Table 6).An enayme preparation (Avizyme SX;Finnfeeds Enterna tional Ltd., Marlborough, UK) was added to the barley diet to determine if an improvement in performance would occur. There were no signilicant dflerences in production parameters between hens fed Ehe barley or corn diets (Table 7). Adding the enzyme preparation to the barley diet Bad no effect on body weight or feed intake, but there was a significant increase (4%) in egg praduction compared with hens fed the other diets (Table 7). These test diets in turn were fed to roosters to determine TME, vdues. The c0rn and barley diets had the same energy value,

I1

whereas the diet supplemented with enzyme had a 4% increase in TMEn (Fig. 1). This improvement in available energy did not result in higher fat levels (abdominal fat and liver lipid levels) in the hens fed the enzyme diet, but did provide a significant overall improvement in feed conversion (Table 7). At certain times of the egg production cycle, supplementing specific diets with exogenous enzyme mixtures may play a significant role in improving the efficiency of laying hens, as well as that of young birds. A preliminary study was conducted during peak production to investigate the effect of feeding graded levels of two types of barley (taw and high TME values) in layer diets formulated to be isocaloric. An enzyme mixture wits supplemented in the barley-based diets to determine if there would be an enhancement of the dietary nutrients. Laying hens fed the barley diets with or without enzyme supplementation had a slightly higher daily feed intake at both 4 and 26 weeks of production when compared with Ehe corn-fed control group. Supplementing the barley diets with an enzyme mixture resutted in the hens gaining more body weight while maintaining equal e= production early in the production cycle. Young hens fed the enzyme mixture were able to continue to grow during this key period of the egg production cycle. The test diets utilized in the previous study were fed to adult roosters to determine

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B ~ y a ta t d [131

1

BARLEY

Final body weight (kg)

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WYATT and GOODMAN

2.94

2.98

3.02

3.06

3.10

3.14

T.M.E. n (kcaVg) Imcon

0Barley (2.94 kcal) HBarley + enzyme

I

FIGURE 1. Effectof formulating diets using different barley ME valuesin the feed formulation on dietary

TMEn values in adult roosters (Wyatt gt & [13])

the effect of enzyme supplementation on apparent nutrient digestibility. Feces weight increased in birds fed barley-based diets, indicating that more of organic matter passed through the bird. Enzyme supplementation tended to increase organic matter and fat digestibility, but the response was quite variable. The metabolizableenergy of the diets containing the highest level (50%) of either type of barley was increased when enzymes were supplemented. Although the results were variable, it appears that enzyme supplementation may be beneficial during peak production when there is an extremely high demand for nutrients to maintain body growth and high egg production.

CONCLUSIONS Current research demonstrates that barley can be used in laying hen rations with no detrimental effects on performance, but barley cultivars may react differently. This suggests that some factor(s), probably more than just totalp-glucan in the barley, may be interacting to alter digestion and dietary energy utilization. Enzyme supplementation of diets may have a positive response on energy bioavailability and laying hen performance. Consequently, understanding the relationship between animal performance and digestion of the different barley varieties in poultry diets will allow nutritionists to better tailor the use of barley for different feeding situations.

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2.90

74 REFERENCES 1.McNab, J.M. and D.W.F. Shannon, 1974. The nutritive value of barley, maize, oats and wheat for poultly. Br. Poultry Sci. 15561-567. 2. Longstaff, M. and J.M. McNab, 1987. Digestion of starch and fiber carboh drates in peaks by adult cockerels. Bri. Poultry Sci. 28:$61-285. 3. Longstaff, M. and J.M. McNab, 1986. Influence of site and variety on starch, hemicellulose, and cellulose composition of wheats and their digestibilities by adult cockerels. Br. Poultry Sci. 27435449. 4. Peterson, CF., 1974. Metabolizable energy values of feedstuffs and ener requirements for laymg hens. Proceedings of Pacific Krthwest Animal Nutrition Conference. pp. 102-110.

6. Sibbnld, I.R., 1976. The effect of cold pelleting on the true metabolizable energy values of cereal grains fed to adult roosten and a comparison of observed with redicted metabolizable energy values. Poultry 1.55:970-974.

&.

7. Wyatt, C.L and T.N. Goodman, 1990. An evaluation of the chemical composition and metabolizable energy values of Northwest barley cultivars grown at different geographical locations. Poultry Sci. 69 (Suppl.1): 146. 8. Sibbuld, I.R., 1986. The T.M.E. system of feed evaluation: methodology, feed composition data and bibliogra hy. Tech. Bull. 198648, Res. Branch, Agri. Canada, ttawa, Canada.

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9. Berg, LR., 1959. Enzyme supplementation of barley diets for laying hens. Poultly Sci. 331132-1139. 10. Classen, H.L, G . L Campbell, B.G. Rossnagel, and RS. 131iultyl 1988. Evaluation of hulless barley as replacement for wheat or conventional barley in laying hen diets. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 68:1261-1266. 11. Coon, C.N., I. Obi, and M . L Hamre, 1988. Use of barley in laying hen diets. Poultry Sci. 67130&1313. 12. Wynlt, C.L, 1990.The utilization of barley in laying hen rations: An update on energy content of barley and effects on e@ cholesterol. Proceedings 25th Pacific Northwest Animal Nutrition Conference, pp. 13-27. 13. Wyatt, C.L, T.N. Goodinan, and P. Dellplain, 1991. Effect of formulating diets usingdiffering Wanabet barley energy data on layinghen erformanceand abdominal fat content. Poultry Sci. 70 &upp1.1):188.

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5. Rotter, B.A., O.D. Friesen, W. Guenter, and RR. Maraunrdt. 1990. Influence of enzvme suoolementation on'the bioavailable energy of'barlet 'Poultry Sci. 6 9 11761181.

ENZYMES IN LAYING HEN RATIONS